The University Daily Kansan and Jayplay published calendars containing information that was improperly attributed. Members of the Jayplay staff gathered the majority of Jan. 20’s Weekly Choice calendar from information published on Lawrence.com.

The Kansan began an investigation once it learned of these accusations. The investigation revealed flaws in both the Kansan and Jayplay’s data gathering practices in relation to calendars.

The Kansan and many other journalists believe primary sources are best and should be used whenever possible. Secondary sources are used in journalism, but not when a primary source could be reached. A primary source is the people, businesses and organizations themselves. Secondary sources are people talking about primary sources. Lawrence.com and other media are secondary sources.

In all cases information from either primary or secondary sources should be attributed so that you, the reader, can evaluate the credibility of the source.

The investigation uncovered a history of the Kansan and Jayplay using other media to create calendars. Small portions of music calendars from the Spring 2004 semester used secondary sources as primary sources. The Summer 2004 Kansan also utilized other media as primary sources. The practice continued in the fall semester in Jayplay and was used on a more regular basis. By the beginning of this semester the practice became almost the sole way to research for calendar information.

These practices gradually became the norm because of incorrect instructions and unclear guidance from editors.

Kansan staff members will ensure calendars and other we gather are from primary sources by doing our own research. Research is the basis of any good journalism.

The Kansan is disciplining all individuals involved and each staff member will learn why this practice is unacceptable. All staff members will meet to discuss sourcing, plagiarism and other tenets of journalism. Additional policies and training will be added to inform future staff members.

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• In the course of the investigation the Kansan discovered that a small amount of an event description from the Jan. 20 “Weekly Choice” calendar was plagiarized. The sentence and a half were lifted from a Lawrence.com description.

The staff member involved in this incident is on suspension.

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• All Kansan staff members feel pride in the work that is published for you each day. We feel that it is neccessary to keep our readers informed as to decisions that we make, mistakes that we make and the problems that occur.

The Kansan depends on its reputation as a professional news source so that readers will trust what they read. We will continue to work every day to serve as a primary, credible news source for a diverse University community. To do this we strive to practice high ethical standards, good news judgment, objectivity and creativity.

If we don’t live up to our duties to you, the reader, don’t hesitate to visit, call or e-mail me.